Mitsubishi Evo

After 13,463 miles, three road tests, three outings to race tracks and a whole lot of fun, Auto Express's long-term Evo was getting a bit 'tyred'...

So after an especially strenuous track session, a new set of tyres was ready and waiting for the Mitsubishi. The mileage might seem low for the Yokohama rubber to have worn out, but given the tough life our Evo's had, we reckon they've performed well. However, we chose a different manufacturer for the replacement set.

All four corners needed changing, and with a massive 326bhp power output, opting for budget rubber wasn't going to be an option. Instead, we plumped for Bridgestone's Potenza RE050A, a tyre the maker claims is suitable for everything from an Evo to a Ferrari Enzo.
First impressions are good. While the Yokohamas were excellent when new, by the time they were replaced, their performance was dramatically reduced. Feel through the steering had also all but disappeared, so getting fresh boots has brought the Mitsubishi's driving experience back up to scratch. We look forward to seeing how they continue to perform over the next few months.

Even though the Bridgestones turned out to be around £30 cheaper per wheel than the Yokos, the bill for new tyres still came to £547. Add that to a third service (£291.49) - there's one every 4,500 miles - and life with the Evo has not been cheap.

Since its arrival on the Auto Express fleet, we've been relatively impressed with WX05 EGJ's economy, but that's now dropped from 24.2mpg to 21.8mpg, as the Mitsubishi has spent more time on the track. Use full throttle, and the fuel gauge soon heads south. With the cost of super unleaded comfortably the wrong side of £1 per litre in many places, filling up is becoming a major expense.

However, drivers get their money's worth. Every journey is a real occasion, with the booming exhaust, brutal acceleration and wonderfully accurate gearchange sending shivers down the spine at any speed. Only on long motorway trips do the hard suspension and ear-bashing decibel count become a real bind.

Driving a rally-bred saloon every day is not without compromises, but the Evo can reward like few others. Let's just hope we don't have so much fun that the only thing heading into the red more often than the revs is our bank balance...
Chris Thorp

Second opinion
I've managed to drive several hundred miles in the Evo over the past few months, but it was only recently that I got the chance to take the Mitsubishi on familiar B-roads. Having looked forward to blowing the cobwebs away, I ended up a bit disappointed - not because the Evo wasn't entertaining or capable, but simply because it's mighty fast. On-boost acceleration is so vicious that I struggled to keep my speed in check.
Ross Pinnock, motoring writer